Wick Poetry Center

Goal

Traveling Stanzas: Writing Across Borders: Sharing the voices of Akron by enabling residents to submit a short video of an original poem, some of which will be displayed on posters on local buses and in public spaces

Celebrating Akron’s many voices, the Wick Poetry Center will expand its award-winning Traveling Stanzas project, engaging the community in a cross-cultural, intergenerational conversation through the inclusive voice of poetry. Working with refugee and immigrant populations and the Akron and Kent public schools, the center will offer poetry workshops to encourage people of all ages to share their voices and stories. Visitors to travelingstanzas.com will be able to record and submit a short video of an original or published poem in their own language with a brief commentary about its significance in their lives. A selection will be paired with graphic designs for posters to be displayed on Akron buses, outdoor kiosks in North Hill and other public spaces. From those works, the center will create a traveling digital exhibit featuring large touchscreen displays where users can browse poems and videos in at least five languages, and discover a shared humanity through the intimate voice of poetry.